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08 September 2020 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Falko Buschke
Dr Falko Buschke says the iconic sandstone cliffs of the eastern Free State are key to protecting wild plants and animals from climate change.
The iconic sandstone cliffs of the eastern Free State are often the focus of paintings and postcards. Now, new research shows they also protect wild plants and animals from climate change. This finding is the outcome of a collaborative research effort by the University of the Free State (UFS); BirdLife South Africa; the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and KU Leuven, Belgium, which has recently been published in the journal Biological Conservation.

Mountains key for climate change mitigation

The study, led by Dr Falko Buschke from the Centre for Environmental Management UFS, used satellite data from NASA to track the ecological effects of wet and dry seasons, including the record drought of 2015/16. This showed how vegetation on the cool and moist mountain slopes was less affected by dry spells.

The complex physical terrain allows moisture to accumulate in the shaded parts of the south-facing slopes and ravines. This creates cool and moist habitats for plants and animals that wouldn’t survive in the rest of the hotter and drier landscape.

The team also discovered that these positive effects of mountains do not end at the foot of the mountain, but extend at least 500m into the flatter lowlands. “Presumably because water and nutrients accumulate in these surrounding buffers due to run-off,” says Dr Buschke.

Butterflies find safety on mountains

In addition to their high-tech analysis of the area, the team also relied on old-fashioned fieldwork to monitor butterflies over two years. “The data showed us how these insects find safety on mountains during harsh climate conditions and can then recolonise the rest of the landscape after conditions improve,” explains Dr Buschke. “This gives us clues on the best way to protect nature,” he adds. 

This study took place in the Rooiberge-Riemland Key Biodiversity Area (KBA), an area significant for maintaining global biodiversity. Several species of insects, reptiles, birds and mammals here occur nowhere else on earth. “If they disappear here, they will go extinct from the whole planet forever,” says Dr Falko Buschke. 

Despite its ecological significance, most of the area is covered by commercial farmland. So, the next stage of the project is exploring ways of protecting these important habitats while ensuring that farmers can continue producing food and supporting rural livelihoods. 

“Farmers hold the key to preserving biodiversity,” says Dr Buschke, “so conservation scientists need to work closely with them to ensure that we protect species for future generations.” 

News Archive

UFS research sheds light on service delivery protests in South Africa
2015-01-23

UFS research sheds light on service delivery protests in South Africa

Service delivery protests in the country have peaked during 2014, with 176 major service delivery protests staged against local government across South Africa.

A study by the University of the Free State (UFS) found that many of these protests are led by individuals who previously held key positions within the ANC and prominent community leaders. Many of these protests involved violence, and the destruction had a devastating impact on the communities involved.

This study was done by Dr Sethulego Matebesi, researcher and senior lecturer at the UFS. He focused his research on the dynamics of service delivery protests in South Africa.

Service delivery protests refer to the collective taken by a group of community members which are directed against a local municipality over poor or inadequate provision of basic services, and a wider spectrum of concerns including, for example, housing, infrastructural developments, and corruption.

These protests increased substantially from about 10 in 2004 to 111 in 2010, reaching unprecedented levels with 176 during 2014.

The causes of these protests are divided into three broad categories: systemic (maladministration, fraud, nepotism and corruption); structural (healthcare, poverty, unemployment and land issues); and governance (limited opportunities for civic participation, lack of accountability, weak leadership and the erosion of public confidence in leadership).

In his research, Dr Matebesi observed and studied protests in the Free State, Northern Cape and the North-West since 2008. He found that these protests can be divided into two groups, each with its own characteristics.

“On the one side you have highly fragmented residents’ groups that often use intimidation and violence in predominantly black communities. On the other side, there are highly structured ratepayers’ associations that primarily uses the withholding of municipal rates and taxes in predominantly white communities.”

 

Who are the typical protesters?

Dr Matebesi’s study results show that in most instances, protests in black areas are led by individuals who previously held key positions within the ANC - prominent community leaders. Generally, though, protests are supported by predominantly unemployed, young residents.

“However, judging by election results immediately after protests, the study revealed that the ANC is not losing votes over such actions.”

The study found that in the case of the structured ratepayers’ associations, the groups are led by different segments of the community, including professionals such as attorneys, accountants and even former municipal managers.

Dr Matebesi says that although many protests in black communities often turned out violent, protest leaders stated that they never planned to embark on violent protests.

“They claimed that is was often attitude (towards the protesters), reaction of the police and the lack of government’s interest in their grievances that sparked violence.”

Totally different to this is the form of peaceful protests that involves sanctioning. This requires restraint and coordination, which only a highly structured group can provide.

“The study demonstrates that the effects of service delivery protests have been tangible and visible in South Africa, with almost daily reports of violent confrontations with police, extensive damage to property, looting of businesses, and at times, the injuring or even killing of civilians. With the increase of violence, the space for building trust between the state and civil society is decreasing.”

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